Ireland Books

In this highly enlightening book, Michael Kellogg argues that in becoming National Socialist Germany did not follow a special path predetermined by German culture. Rather, the genesis of National Socialism must be understood within the context of German defeat of WWI and the Bolshevik Revolution. The co-occurence of these events brought Baltic German and Russian Nationists to Germany where they joined völkisch leaders and radicalized the masses. Formerly fringe anti-Semitism was joined to anti-Bolshivism and became virulent. The book sits on original research done in German and Russian archives.
Karla Poewe
Professor, University of Calgary

This is a superb book based on solid archival research in German and Russia that provides startling new insights into the ideological roots of National Socialism. It is a must read for anyone interested in understanding Nazism and the development of its ideology. Kellogg shows how the Russian Revolution affected the thinking of various Russian and Baltic intellectuals who fled to Germany where they spread their poisonous brand of anti-Semitism based on a unique mythology. I strongly recommend this book which should be read alongside Karla Poewe "New Religions and the Nazis", New York and London, Routledge, 2006. These books complement each other in a remarkable way and genuinely change our understanding of the origins and growth of Nazism.

Irving Hexham, Professor of Religious Studies, University of Calgary.

The various interconnections between Germany and Russia in contemporary history have become a recurring subject of research after the end of the Cold War. For instance, there has been a new wave of books and articles on the comparison between Nazism and Stalinism as well as on the Nazi-Soviet co-operation of 1939-1940. Another example would be the recent talk about `Weimar Russia' when interpreting post-Soviet developments.
With "The Russian Roots of Nazism", an extremely dense and well-researched text, Kellog provides an important new study on a still insufficiently explored aspect of the history of contemporary German-Russian relations. His book focuses on the years 1918-1923, and details at length the connections that a number of prominent émigrés from the former Tsarist empire had with the early Nazi elite, in general, and Adolf Hitler, in particular. The central theme of the study is the rise and fall of the short-lived, yet important émigré association Aufbau: "Wirtschaftspolitische Vereinigung für den Osten" (Reconstruction: Economic-Political Organisation for the East). With such an intriguing subject, Kellog will find many readers among historians and the interested public of both Russia and Germany as well as other countries.
Kellog's analysis suffers, however, from an overemphasis of the pro-Slavic tendencies in the German extreme right and an insufficient consideration of the deep roots of the Nazis' rabid anti-Slavism. More generally, Kellog could have considered in more detail rival influences on Nazism such as `scientific racism' or occultism in order to make a better case for his thesis about the `Russian roots' of Nazism. While he, at one point, puts his position on the nature of Nazism close to Ernst Nolte's (p. 199), he, in fact, succeeds in providing arguments against Nolte's assertion that fascism is essentially anti-Marxism. Kellog's many quotes show that the `bolshevik' part in the Nazis' talk about `Jewish Bolshevism' was secondary and that the Nazis instead thought that the bolsheviks were guided by `Jewish finance capitalism' (e.g. p. 226) - thus, oddly, making the Nazi interpretation of communism somewhat similar to the communist interpretation of Nazism.

When one considers for what short period the German Army occupied the Ukraine after the treaty of Brest Litovsk, it is interesting how many White Russian came out with the retreating German Armies.Their prejudices were a remarkable influence on the early Nazi Party in Munich, particularly the ideas engendered by the Protocols of Zion. Until this book Scheubner-Richter had been written off as a body, the only one shot dead, marching alongside Hitler and Ludendorff in the 1923 attemptef Putsch. However it transpires that he was as great an influence on Nazi doctrine as Rosenberg ( normally described as just a Baltic-German Russian , but actually also a White Officer )
Interesting also is the relationship with Wagner clan in Bayreuth , so that the book is complementary to Joachim Kohler's Wagner's Hitler; and that both groups visited Henry Ford in Detroit to seek funds , arising from his anti-semitic attitudes.
Kellogg does not explore the implications that the General Staff in Berlin was seeking a rapprochment with bolshevik Russia at this time .Nor does he assess Ludendorff as a politician.Above all , he does not refect on the confrontation between class-ridden White Russian Officers and the Bohemian Corporal who spent the war in the trenches on the Western Front.
Anyone coming to study this period and phase of the Nazi Party/ Adolf Hitler will have to take note of this book and its importance.
I hope that Michael Kellogg will go on to produce works that follow on this pivotal start.

I had never thought to find the link between German right wing movements and white emigres within Germany and Europe and what impact they had on the future Nazi Party and Hitler. This book was an unexpected find and a pleasant one at that. Not too difficult to read, somewhat repetitive but at the same time this makes it easier to keep track of all the 'characters' that the reader is introduced to. This book gives an excellent analysis on how the white emigres affected Hitler and his party and how without them Hitler might not have turned east or if he did might have done some things quite differently. What surprised me most was that before 1919 Hitler did not really say or write anything anti-semitic, in fact at times he defended Jews and even spoke like a socialist from time to time, which to a degree is less surprising since the Nazi party was a socialist party. I was also interested to learn of the assassination attempts undertaken by these white emigres against both Soviet politicians and German ones as well. Bottom line is that there is a lot of information here put into a context I never thought existed before, the book is expensive but in my opinion worth the money for the input it provides and the new view I now have of how Hitler came about with some of his ideas regarding Jews, Bolsheviks, and the Soviet Union.

I have found Sacred Space a good resource for my daily prayer and meditation. The format at the beginning of each week gives a simple and inspiring framework for prayer. The questions following the daily scripture reading are unique and helpful.

The website for Sacred Space has a steady worldwide following. Started by Alan McGuckian and Peter Scally, two Irish Jesuits, the site offers prayer suggestions based on the daily Mass scriptures used in the Catholic Church and the basic methods of Ignatian prayer. The site also offers seasonal retreats and newsletters to better help people pray. People can sign up to receive newsletters, participate in online retreats, and share feedback. People can also log on to use the daily prayers, but for those of us who do not like sitting at a computer to pray, there is a companion volume: SACRED SPACE THE PRAYER VOLUME 2008.

The book is set up in an easy to use format. It follows the liturgical calendar and begins with an overall weekly reflection. For each week there are reflection questions that vary from week to week to help the person focus on scripture and God's movement in his/her life. There are excerpts from the daily readings or psalms and accompanied by a few other reflection questions. The method is straightforward and easy to use. First the person reminds him/herself that prayer is being in the presence of God and clears the mind. Second, the person asks for God's help in the time of prayer, remembering that while prayer is a free act, it is only fruitful with God's help. Third, we bring ourselves to prayer, bringing our thoughts, feelings, moods, etc. to prayer and sharing them with God. The fourth step involves reading the scripture for the day, the fifth is reflection and conversation with God about the scripture. The prayer ends with the sixth and final step, praising and thanking God.

SACRED SPACE is almost the perfect guide for personal prayer. Since it uses the daily Mass scripture readings from the Roman Catholic lectionary, it is prayer that unites members of the Church throughout the world. It is easy to use so a person beginning a prayer routine will not be intimidated yet since it is based on God's word through the scriptures, it is both simple and sophisticated. It is a method that can be done in a rather short period of time yet can easily be extended to longer periods. It's also a method that can be used at any time of the day. It could easily be something that begins the day (probably the ideal way to use the book), be a refresher for midday, or a good way to conclude the day.

P.S.: For people who have to prepare a homily for daily Mass and run out of ideas, the reflection questions in the book can be a wonderful way to sound new and fresh, and since it stems from prayer and reflection, it is what a homily is supposed to be.

Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2008. Excellent for the busy Christian who wants to start the day with a reflection on the scriptures. Reflection questions each day are an added bonus.
I have been using this product for three years, and give it as a gift to friends.

Sacred Space, a hard copy, of the web site created by the Irish Jesuits is an invaluable prayer companion resources for daily meditation. I use book almost everyday and take it with me when I go on trip. The prayer methodology follows the traditions of the St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus. I would recommend it highly. R.W. Vancouver, Canada.

The Sacred Space Prayer Book is a creation of the Jesuit Communication Centre in Ireland, developers of www.sacredspace.ie. Like the web site, the book offers brief meditations on scripture relevant to life in the 21st century. The weekly sections begin with something to think about and pray about each day. Often the think-about section focuses on remaining faithful in today's world. For example, we examine the culture of the individual against the strong sense of community in the early Church. And we are urged to reject the philosophy of the marketplace by "building a personal spam filter into our eyes and ears, a half-automatic delete key to use on whatever distracts (us) from the Lord."

Facing the weekly think-about page is a six-step process expressed as prayer-poems. In the first three steps, unique for each week, we invite God into our hearts; ask for the grace to be open to God's word; and acknowledge our current concerns, thoughts, and emotions. The fourth step takes us into the daily passages, selected from the lectionary readings, and brief reflections. Finally, we engage Jesus in a conversation about our experience and conclude by praying the Doxology.

This 2008 prayer book, which begins with the First Sunday of Advent, 2007, is ideal for individuals and groups wishing to find a sacred space within their existing lives. Ideas for slowing down and finding time are provided in a brief how-to section of the introduction and integrated into the daily reflections.

This is a "behind the scenes" look at the half the Solidarity story which has never been told. Important for history buffs, feminists and anyone else who wants to know about the inner politics of one of the most fascinating and high profile revolutions during Communists times.

What an amazing story! I can't believe that I've never heard about
these women. On the other hand, I'm not surprised that history and
patriarchy consigned this story to the remainder's bin. For a book from
an academic press "Solidarity's Secret" is very readable and lively.
Just imagine how many similar secrets there must be throughout history,
the old "power behind the throne" tale. Come on journalists and historians! Look below the surface!

The basic premise of Penn's book is very important. Contemporary political science tends to regurgitate a few unquestioned premises. Many books on communist cultures rely on facile answers to complex phenomena. Few account for gender in an integrated fashion. That's why Penn's book makes such a valuable contribution. Hers is the best sort of revisionist research. At a time when our own American journalists are being both spoon-fed and censored, it is refreshing to see a writer who goes to primary sources and digs beneath the received conventional wisdom. I found this book to be clear and thought-provoking. It should be taught in a variety of fields, such as political science, sociology, and media studies, and of course, gender and Slavic studies.

This is an amazing story and a great read. Like many, I have known of Lech Walensa, the Solidarity movement in general and marshall law in Poland in the 80's; but it's really interesting to learn how the movement was kept alive underground by a remarkable cast of women. Shana Penn's book combines aspects of Rosie the Riveter, underground intrigue and an intimate look at how history really unfolds. It is a many layered story.

What an amazing story! I can't believe that I've never heard about
these women. On the other hand, I'm not surprised that history and
patriarchy consigned this story to the remainder's bin. For a book
from
an academic press "Solidarity's Secret" is very readable and lively.
Just imagine how many similar secrets there must be throughout
history,
the old "power behind the throne" tale. Come on journalists and
historians! Look below the surface!

One of the newest additions to the outstanding Cardogan travel guide series, Southwest Ireland: Cork, Kerry, Limerick & Clare by Catharina Day is now in a fully revised edition. Covering 170 places to stay, 190 top bars and restaurants, legends, stone circles, history, the nuances of its title counties, and much more, Southwest Ireland is as valuable for its in-depth tour of local lore as it is for its 16 detailed and highly accessible maps. Black-and-white and a handful of color photographs illustrate this easy-to-follow reference handbook, as useful for locating markets, activities, and tourist attractions as it is for simple reading pleasure about the wonders of Southwest Ireland. Highly recommended for business travelers and vacationers alike.

One of the newest additions to the outstanding Cardogan travel guide series, Southwest Ireland: Cork, Kerry, Limerick & Clare by Catharina Day is now in a fully revised edition. Covering 170 places to stay, 190 top bars and restaurants, legends, stone circles, history, the nuances of its title counties, and much more, Southwest Ireland is as valuable for its in-depth tour of local lore as it is for its 16 detailed and highly accessible maps. Black-and-white and a handful of color photographs illustrate this easy-to-follow reference handbook, as useful for locating markets, activities, and tourist attractions as it is for simple reading pleasure about the wonders of Southwest Ireland. Highly recommended for business travelers and vacationers alike.

One of the newest additions to the outstanding Cardogan travel guide series, Southwest Ireland: Cork, Kerry, Limerick & Clare by Catharina Day is now in a fully revised edition. Covering 170 places to stay, 190 top bars and restaurants, legends, stone circles, history, the nuances of its title counties, and much more, Southwest Ireland is as valuable for its in-depth tour of local lore as it is for its 16 detailed and highly accessible maps. Black-and-white and a handful of color photographs illustrate this easy-to-follow reference handbook, as useful for locating markets, activities, and tourist attractions as it is for simple reading pleasure about the wonders of Southwest Ireland. Highly recommended for business travelers and vacationers alike.

One of the newest additions to the outstanding Cardogan travel guide series, Southwest Ireland: Cork, Kerry, Limerick & Clare by Catharina Day is now in a fully revised edition. Covering 170 places to stay, 190 top bars and restaurants, legends, stone circles, history, the nuances of its title counties, and much more, Southwest Ireland is as valuable for its in-depth tour of local lore as it is for its 16 detailed and highly accessible maps. Black-and-white and a handful of color photographs illustrate this easy-to-follow reference handbook, as useful for locating markets, activities, and tourist attractions as it is for simple reading pleasure about the wonders of Southwest Ireland. Highly recommended for business travelers and vacationers alike.

"Southwest Ireland" by Catharina Day is a valuable book for anyone going to this beautiful part of Ireland. I travel frequently to this region (mostly to Limerick), and find this guide very informative for not only typical guidebook material (places to stay, eat, etc.) but also for more uncommon information on sights of interest. The single strongest feature of this book is in the historical background it provides. This book is far and away the best of commonly available guides to the region from a practical history point of view. It includes an interesting introduction explaining a history of Ireland, the status of the Irish Republic today, and a very helpful glossary of political parties and terms. Religious and political issues (obviously including Northern Ireland) are explained, and all this background helps a traveler appreciate the people and places in this wonderful country.

I obviously can't comment on the accuracy of the entire book, but the entries here align very well with the places I have been (King John's Castle, St. Mary's Cathedral, etc.) so as long as the book is uniform, it is very useful and accurate. The book is not without detractions, however. Except for the first few pages which contain color photographs taken from the area, there are no illustrations of the places featured. The maps are not especially helpful or detailed, either. For these reasons I gave the book four stars, whereas the text would easily garner five.

Travelers may wish to pick up another guide with more user friendly maps and better illustrations to compliment this guide. All told though, this is a great guide to Southwest Ireland, and I recommend it, especially for the history.

Soltis does an excellent job in this work. This book is much realistic than the Soviet Chess School which is pure propaganda - other than the fact that it has very realistic caricatures of soviet chess players.
Soltis has done some excellent research into the games and player history. A must read.

GM Soltis has produced a fine work here, just like his biography of Frank Marshall, as well as his 70s book "The Younger Soviet School of Chess" (more than can be said for his opening books alas). He covers chess in the Soviet Union from the October Revolution to the Union's demise.

Soltis covers the inauspicious beginnings of Soviet chess, largely due to the whims of Krylenko, the much feared Soviet prosecutor. There were bad setbacks at first, particularly the defections of Alekhine and Bogolyubov, the outclassing of the leading Russians (albeit of a pre-revolonary generation) by the best Westerners at the great Moscow 1925 tournament (of course, apart from the soon-to-defect Bogolyubov), to the rise of Botvinnik to world class.

By the end of WW2, Soviet strength had grown enormously, but was almost unknown in the West. The West realized it soon enough with the Soviets' drubbing of the USA team, victors in the four previous Olympiad. Then Botvinnik convincingly captured the World Title, and the Soviets held it ever since apart from the three-year reign of Fischer.

Soltis also covers the horrors of Communist Russia, showing that even chessmasters were not immune from Stalin's paranoia. Even Krylenko met the fate he had handed out to so many others. The "Great Patriotic War" also took a terrible toll, including Iljin Genevsky, and Romanovsky's first wife and all their daughters. Soltis speculates on the effects of the Soviet oppression on the character of many of its grandmasters.

There is a good collection of lightly annotated games, many unknown but still high quality. At the end, there's even a guide to pronouncing Russian names, which may surprise many, but on the ones I've heard pronounced by native Russian speakers, Soltis provides an accurate guide as far as is possible with the Latin alphabet.

This book offers a fascinating historical account of chess in the Soviet Union. While it does contain lots of game scores with light annotations by the author, the book is more historical than instructional. The book gives a detailed account of the evolution of Soviet chess from the basement of a small house in Moscow just after the revolution, to a national fascination that would dominate the world scene. All throughout the book there is a strong emphasis on the connection between chess and politics in the USSR. A great read for history buffs.

This is a fascinating account of the Soviet (chess) compound. Whether you be an academic or an avid chess player, this book will suit you well. Complete with annotated games and extensive Soviet history, Soltis' scholarship is superb. Sovietologists will likely find themselves in uncharted but important territory.

Those who have read 'Bobby Fischer Goes to War' will recognize this as Edmond & Eidinow's main source. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this work is its politically unbiased nature.

Best read with a board, pen, and notebook.

Soltis and Mcfarland realized a great work. Soviet chess is an historical topic of absolute interest for chess players and not. Soltis keeps a good balance between historical/anecdotical facts and chess facts. the price is high but correct: hardcover, good paper, many photopgraphs.

The pictures are elegant even if the subject isn't. Very beautiful book. Know that the book is not intended to show you all aspects of life in Soviet Russia. It focuses more on the downside of life.

Having traveled in Russia during the Soviet era, I believe that Sherbell, in words and images, has captured the essence of the latter stages of the Empire. The picures and text show a deep understanding and appreciation of the problems of the Soviet system. More importantly, the beauty, humanity and resiience of the Russian people come shining through. It is a terrific photo book.

One can always tell looking at a book if the photographer was just a "tourist" in the area, on a brief assignment from a magazine, or if he really "lived" in the story and made it part of his life. There have been numerous failed attempts by western photographers to capture this period of history. Shepard Sherbell's book is different. He obviously not only put his heart into every image, he made this work a part of his life, spending several years in Moscow and in different Soviet republics before, during and after the USSR fell apart. His photographs speak about the human spirit, the dignity of the people, their feelings and day to day worries. It is well balanced.
But for someone unfamiliar with the subject the advise is - don't try to "consume" all the images at once. The material is too rich. One has to sink into the book little by little, explore it and revisit it again and again.

Sherbell is a master of his craft. He takes the reader on a virtual tour of the former Soviet Union. This talented photographer manages to convey the personality and texture of a complex country and period of history with sensitivity and wit.

"Soviets" is a book that is best savoured one page at a time. The photographs are matched only by the text which, unlike many photography books, adds another level to the work. This is a book that could be placed in the history section of any library as easily as photography.

Whether or not you ever visited the Soviet Union in its dying days, Shepard Sherbell's photographs will grab you. His images of that moribund nation reveal the darkest secrets of the U.S.S.R. Those of us who lived through those final moments will recognize the chilling faces of a great power in demise. The crumbling buildings, cracking monuments and crushed spirits of a once-mighty state are beautifully portrayed in this book. It's an eyewitness to a land of infinite impossibilities.

Make no mistake: THE SOVIETS is not another collection of snapshots from Red Square and the Bolshoi Theater. Instead, its pages are populated with glimpses into the real life of that now-extinct country. Unless you'd lived there, this is a side of the Soviet Union you probably never saw.

Brace yourself.

This is what you would expect a history of any period to be like, but unfortunately few are. Bowen has done a masterful job in explaining what happened, why it happened, who made it happen, and who didn't. Almost every situation is explained as to the political, economic and military impact of what happened as well as thoughts on what different could have been done and what the effect might have been.

By keeping Spain out of direct belligerency, Franco protected Spain for the post-war era. Though his dictatorship was brutal, it was homegrown and homemade (except for the help of the German Air Force-Condor Legion) and for the most part, kept home. With belligerent armies in the millions, and forced labor in the millions; Spain contributed at most seventy thousand troops and workers all told, with fewer than 20,000 at any one time.

If you want to know what happened in Spain during WW2, this is your book.

This is an important new volume, filling a major gap in the recent history of Europe. But in addition to that, it is an engrossing and entertaining read!

For several decades after World War II, historians of the various fascist and semi-fascist movements tended to focus on the leaders, the party structure, international diplomacy, and issues related to the war. Only recently have historians begun to focus on the "little people" who supported these regimes. (This is in stark contrast to the historians of Marxism, who have much more often written about the devotion of the individual party members.)

Franco's regime was a complex one, combining elements of military dictatorship, fascism, and reactionary monarchism. Although Franco succeeded in steering a middle course between these elements, there were many radical members of the Falange who wanted closer ties to Nazi Germany. The motivations behind these people -- mostly young radicals -- have not been explored in any English-language history book until now.

In "Spaniards and Nazi Germany," the author (Wayne Bowen) examines the various individuals who advocated closer ties between Spain and Germany between 1933 and 1945. Germany aided Franco's Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War, while the Soviet Union was aiding the Republican forces. When the Civil War ended, many observers expected Spain to become a close ally of Germany. But when Hitler struck a deal with Stalin in 1939, this changed. The Spanish Right had always seen Communism as their greatest foe. So when Hitler and Stalin gleefully carved up Catholic Poland, most of the Spaniards loyal to Franco realized that Hitler's ideology was not at all the same as theirs.

However, radical elements in the Falange refused to break ties with Nazi Germany. Many of them formed Spanish-German friendship groups, and even tried to undermine Franco's control of Spain. Finally, when Hitler double-crossed Stalin and invaded the USSR in June 1941, many young anti-Communist Spaniards volunteered to fight on the Eastern Front. These volunteers of the "Division Azul" ("Blue Division") ended up fighting alongside the Germans between Leningrad and Moscow.

Dr. Bowen does an excellent job of chronicling the activities of the pro-German Spaniards, as well as the controversies surrounding them. On a political level, Franco was trying to steer a course between the neutrality he desired for Spain and his tactical preference for whichever side seemed to be winning the war at any given time; on the other hand, the radical Falange saw politics in terms of the National Socialist "New Order" which they believed was the future of Europe. On an ideological level, most of Franco's supporters respected the Nazi Party's opposition to Communism, but distrusted its radicalism and its neo-paganism; again, this contrasted with the Falangists who saw Nazism as admirable. Even in the face of explicit German disdain for their "Latin allies", many of these radicals persisted in their loyalty to the Nazi ideals.

This is an excellent book which really opens a new chapter in the history of 20th Century Europe.

I enjoyed this book, which is very well documented with lots of footnoes and bibliography. The Nazis come off looking pretty arrogant about Spain, which they thought was at their beck and call. This book has everything a good history should: adventure, war, diplomacy, economics, conspiracies, and unexpected results. Excellent.

I really liked this book! My boyfriend is a real history buff, watching the History Channel all the time and everything, so I wasn't convinced I would enjoy it when he kept pushing me to look at it, but after I started reading Bowen's book, I couldn't put it down. There are a lot of amazing stories in it, like when Spaniards fought to defend Berlin at the end of World War II, and when Franco said "no" to Hitler -- and got away with it! For a history book, it's a pretty fun read!

This is an exciting story about my country's history during the Spanish Civil War and Second World War, when my grandparents endured starvation and political warfare. Professor Bowen has written a very interesting book, finding archives and research materials that no Spanish historian has used, to create this history which reads like a novel. I had no idea so many of my people were enthusiastically pro-Nazi, fighting in the German army, agitating for Spanish entry into the war, and volunteering, even after the war was lost, to help Hitler win. I had heard of the Blue Division, but thought these were soldiers Franco forced to go to Russia, not tens of thousands of volunteers who wanted to fight Stalin. Sometimes Bowen seems to go a little too easy on Franco, who contributed so much to making life difficult in Spain during this period, but I still recommend this book for everyone interested in the Second World War or Spanish history.

Carole Bellacera's exciting novel about a young, beautiful journalist and a rock star was delicious reading. Spotlight has a exciting and original plot as well as sexy characters. The suspense went up to the last minute and made it a great reading experience. Thanks Carole, keep 'em coming.

"Spotlight" is one of the best books of the year. I loved "Border Crossings", the author's first book, and "Spotlight", the second, is every bit as good. You simply cannot put it down. She captures the Irish experience as few others have.

I enjoyed reading this novel and considered it well written and very good. However, the hero, Devin, is such a perfect person that I had trouble making him real in my mind. He is an Irish Catholic rock star who is more popular and better looking than Bono of U2. He gives most of his money away to peace seeking charities. He also has not had sex in several years since his wife was caught on an IRA terrorist mission as a perpetrator. Devin lives like a monk despite women literally ripping their clothes off in front of him and throwing themselves at him. The only bad things one can say about him are that he's moody sometimes and that he doesn't tell the heroine the whole truth about his life until forced to do so. By contrast, Bellacera's other novel featured a Trinity college professor as the lead, who had his priorities in life confused, and let his own stubbornness and misplaced loyalty get him deeper and deeper into the Irish Catholic cause at the peril of losing his wife and child. I preferred the intimate, human scale of "Border Crossings", with its well rounded hero, to the superstar setting of "Spotlight" and its superhuman hero. Nevertheless, Bellacera is a very good writer and wrote a rousing tale with "Spotlight".

Spotlight takes us through the tormetned and bittersweet life of Devin O'Keefe as he escapes the violence of Northern Ireland, makes a life for himself, and finds love.

Devin O'Keefe watches helplessly as his older brother is killed on Bloody Sunday in the name of peace. From here, Devin's life takes several twists and turns. His closest friend is injured in a freak accident and he discovers that the woman he loves has deceived him to extremes.

Fonda Blayne has a dream. She has no intention of spending her life working for someone else, even if it is as a photographer for one of the hottest music magazines. Fonda has an eye for the very best and she intends to put that to good use. Tragedy strikes her as well when her twin brother is killed in the line of duty.

Things finally look up when Fonda is offered the chance of a lifetime. She is hired to do a photojournal of the hot rock and roller from Ireland. Devin O'Keefe makes it clear right off that she better stay out of his way, because his music will always come first. Neither Fonda or Devin are emotionally prepared for the attraction that consumes them. A bond is forged and the couple begin a life together, with plans to marry. But all is not so simple. Devin is already married and his wife is a member of the IRA. All hell breaks loose when the band's manager is arrested on charges of terrorism. Devin must face his most horrifying demon and prove to the world and the woman he truly loves that he is all he says he is.

Devin and Fonda make a solid foundation for this novel of great importance and political realism. Carole Bellacera takes characters from one of the world's most misunderstood cultures and blends them dramatically with the equally tormented Americans of our own society. Superbly well-rounded cast.

This beautiful and poignant tale of trauma and triumph is written with such style I found myself held captive with each word. SPOTLIGHT is an engrossing tale of horrifying proportion and bittersweet victory. Carol bellacera has an impeccable talent as a story-teller with writing skills to match.

Ms. Bellacera took me by the hand and led me through the life of one of today's finest hero's. I felt the pain, I cringed in disgust and I heard the very music that filled the pages of SPOTLIGHT. Conviction and determination set a stunning platform for a brilliant career for this writer. Not something I would normally read, I have to urge everyone to pick up this book. Every reader deserves this kind of book.

Carole Bellacera has done it again! She has followed her outstanding debut novel, BORDER CROSSINGS with a book that's as good, if not better. Wonderfully romantic and suspenseful, SPOTLIGHT is the story of American Fonda Blayne, a writer/photographer for an American rock magazine, Spotlight. She has been assigned to do a book on charismatic Irish rock star Devin O'Keefe who, despite growing up in Northern Ireland advocates peace instead of violence to deal with "The Troubles." However a woman from Devin's last is using him, without his knowledge, to further her cause which includes bombings and other violent acts.

As Devin and Fonda's relationship escalates from a professional to a personal level, can Devin tell Fonda the truth about this woman from his past and still hold on to her love?

This is an outstanding book from its haunting prologue to its exciting conclusion. I absolutely could NOT put it down and was up until 3AM finishing it. I highly recommend this book as one of the best books of the year.

Most students of the Stalin era are aware of the transportation of criminals and political dissidents to Siberia via the Soviet train system. What is not so well know is that from 1932 through 1953 a fleet of Russian cargo ships were pressed into the service of carrying approximately one million forced laborers to the Soviet Gulag in Kolyma, one of the most infamous of the Soviet gulags and located along the Arctic Circle in far northeastern Siberia. Now for the first time, that obscure aspect of Soviet history is thoroughly described and fully documented in "Stalin's Slave Ships: Kolyma, The Gulag Fleet, And The Role Of The West" by Martin J. Bollinger and published by the Naval Institute Press. Of special note is the previously unrecognized role of the American government in this horrific activity as U.S. shipyards constructed most of the Soviet Gulag fleet -- and even overhauled many of these ships free of charge. Drawing from private and public records from both American and Russian archives, as well as firsthand testimony from those directly involved in these transport operations, "Stalin's Slave Ships" reveals just how much Washington knew about the use of American ships by the Russians to transport slave laborers to their gulag destination. Superbly documented, "Stalin's Slave Ships" is an essential, core addition to academic library Soviet Studies and 20th Century Russian History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

As an undergraduate in a modern Russian literature course, I read "Kolyma Streetcar" which was about an incident that ocurred on one of the "slave ships" which is documented in this book. As gruesome and disgusting as that account was, I had no idea that it was only the tip of the iceberg.

For example, in "Stalin's Slave Ships," it is documented that:
1. The "Indigirka," a ship carrying around 1000 slaves to the icy domain of Kolyma, capsized off the Japanes coast, around 1939. Approximately 750 prisoners drowned. Many could have been saved, had the crew not been so hesitant to expose a big secret to the Japanese rescuers. Incidentally, the Indigirka was built in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and was sold to the Soviets in 1930.
2. Many "lend-lease" ships lent to the Soviets by the US during WW2 (but never returned) were used as slave ships. Yes, US tax money helped finance the Soviet gulag system.
3. On one occasion, a riot broke out amongst the prisoners in the crowded hold on a slave ship. The guards quelled the riot using seawater-which in the Sea of Okhotsk at the time was at or below freezing. The ship arrived at its destination, Magadan, with a giant ice cube in its cargo hold, dead prisoners trapped within.
4. To relieve themselves while on these ships, prisoners had to use barrels, which often toppled over on the high seas. Many had to sleep on the floor.
5. While at port in Seattle, a slave ship was undergoing repairs for use in "lend-lease" shipments of supplies from the US to the Soviet Union, again, courtesy of the US taxpayer. Workers complained of foul odors coming from the hold of the ship. Of course, they did not know what these odors were from.
6. One source tells of a contingent of US prisoners of war, from World War 2, who were being sent to gulag labor camps. A cleaning woman in a camp risked her life (and ultimately lost it) by getting names of American POWs written down, to smuggle out of the country. The document was not discovered until recently, and it turns out that some of the badly mis-spelled names matched known US POWs.
7. Once at their destination, prisoners could expect a slow and cold death. One account documents a "procession of phantoms," "not human," heading for a boat in Magadan. Many were without noses, arms, legs. They were said to be taken out to sea and drowned. When temperatures go down to 50 below and prisoners are given inadequate shelter and clothing, severe frostbite takes its toll.
8. One account (from Solzhenitsyn) claims that several starving prisoners came across specimens of ancient creatures frozen in the permafrost, creatures like never before seen. What did the prisoners do? They "promptly ate them."
9. Some recent accounts tell of mass graves, tourguides even offering skulls and bones as souvenirs.

Bollinger offers some very solid research in this book. There is no exaggeration of figures, and whenever questionable accounts are given, they are labeled as such. I hate to use the old cliche, "this ought to be required reading in schools" but it ought to be. Perhaps you will agree with me.

This is a well researched book, relatively short with extensive appendix material on individual ships. It provides compelling evidence the US was duped into supporting the convict labor camps in Siberia. It isn't able to answer the question of whether of not people in the US knew this was happening, but some of the circumstantial evidence is, to say the least, intriguing. The only downside is that the author takes a scholary tone to the work which understates the dramatic elements of the story. But overall a fascinating tale, and very well documented.

First, in the interest of full disclosure, the author of the book is one of my business partners -- a business that has nothing to do with the subject matter of this book. I would like to believe the author and I have the sort of relationship that allows me to be honest about what I think of his book. I must however momentarily stop and think about the wisdom of that belief. The author is considerably more senior than I am in our firm, and he commands substantial respect from his fellow senior partners. The influence he has on the portion of my career that has not yet occurred is not lost on me. I'm certain he appreciates honesty, but perhaps he may not appreciate such public honesty -- on the internet which is both very public and very permanent.

At this point, I've no doubt led you to believe that I found the book factually inaccurate, uninteresting, or simply poorly written. I must admit that I was in fact hoping that would be the case, but alas, it is not. Some background and context appears in order. I've known the author, as my business partner, for a number of years, but did not know he was the author of a book. I learned of this accomplishment while we, as part of a small group, were touring the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis Maryland. While being told about various ships and the commanders who took them into battle, I casually inquired of the author whether he knew much about maritime history. With perfect fluidity and timing, and while maintaining his gaze in a direction other than mine, he casually remarked that he had written a book on the subject. When I further inquired how he found the time and energy for this type of endeavor, he replied simply that "I don't golf." This short exchange motivated me to get my hands on the book so that I could identify and point out what I hoped was its many shortfalls.

Well, that's the context; here's my review. First, for those who care about data, I was quite simply amazed at the depth of research in the book. I cannot vouch for accuracy of the data, but knowing the author quite well, I would find it hard to believe he would pen his name on a book that didn't undergo considerable review and rigorous critique. This book is the perfect gift for the loved one in your life who desires facts about tonnage, displacement, or the exact placement of the mast on a particular ship that no longer exists. I must confess that I find this type of data, and the people who find it interesting, to be rather uninteresting. There is a time and place for learning these facts, but -- to use the words of my favorite living writer, Joseph Epstein -- that time and place is reserved for some knotty pine bench in hell.

Moving along to the quality of the writing, I must unfortunately confess I found the book very interesting -- in fact a proverbial page-turner. It is, and I do hate saying this, extremely well written. The fact that the aforementioned data and facts are weaved into such a well-written story makes the writing remarkable. The author captured my interest from the start, and held my occasionally morbid curiosity, throughout the book. Being a linear reader who does not look ahead to the end of a book, I was surprised and disappointed when I came upon the end of the story with considerable pages remaining in the book. The remainder of the book being reserved for those who desire even more data and further evidence that the author had in fact derived all that data from scholarly sources.

Overall and on a very serious note, the real story in this book is unfortunately that there is sadly no shortage of mind-bending evil in this world. As a child of holocaust survivors, I tend to avoid books and movies on that particular subject and era. This aversion is due in part to my father telling me that words and pictures cannot come close to depicting the horror he experienced, but is mostly due to the anger it generates in me. The evil and resulting horrors described in this book are less personal, but do not invoke less anger. Stones that witnessed the atrocities do in fact cry, and the ships that played such a huge role in the evil have indeed left wakes. It is important to understand this evil and learn from it -- especially today, as we learn to make sense of a world that has to some degree lost both its mind and humanity. The author has done an excellent job applying his well-known wit and keen articulation to create a factual story that enables us to learn from our past so we can better deal with our present to create an improved future for the children we will leave behind. Well done Mr. Bollinger.

I'm the author. I appreciate Raymond W. Jensen's kind remarks and his positive review of my book. A few mistakes crept into his review regarding the loss of the ship Indigirka in 1939. Let me correct them, just to keep the record straight: Indigirka was sold to the Soviets in early 1938 (not 1930) and it was returning from Kolyma, not traveling to it, when it ran aground.

Thanks again for the review, Mr. Jensen.

P.S.: Amazon forces me to rate my own book in order to post this. Therefore, please disregard my review of "5" as hopelessly biased.

My father told me that no Irishman lets the truth stand in the way of a good story. Who knows what of history is true in any culture. This book recognizes it and makes it an excellent blend and easy reading.

Seumus MacManus is a great story teller in the finest of the shanachie tradtion. This is history through story telling. Most is factual, but the folklore is weaved into the telling of the tale. The descriptions of the life and work of Daniel O'Connell are priceless. As a boy, growing up, I was never certain of what was real and what was fanciful about my Irish heritage. But, isn't that much of the charm of the Irish? I highly recommend this book to the reader who wants to be entertained and disdains dry history books. This is a fun read and a wonderful way to learn of the surprising and incredibly interesting history of an amazing people. I also recommend a new book by Frank Delaney, Ireland, published in 2004. Read it and you will understand why I prefer my history learning to include people like the Shanachies who passed on the oral traditions. But, if you really want to learn about the Irish, go to Ireland, and let the people tell you of their history and culture. I learned more in 16 days in Ireland than anything I have ever read. It is a proud culture of wonderful people. It is important for the reader to know that this was published in 1921 and reflects the attitudes of that time in Ireland.

A classic work of Irish-American partisan history. This was the Irish history taught at our grandparents knee and stories both whispered and shouted at many an auld shebeen. Unfortunately, much of it is highly exagerated and based more upon cultural politics than verifiable history. There is no doubt that the history of the English occupation has been long and cruel, but that in and of itself does not make all things Irish angelic. According to the poet MacManus, Ireland before 1169 was an idylic wonderland inhabited by saints and scholars and noble warriors. Do not misunderstand: I love this book. I retell these tales to any and all who will listen. But it is not history as much as folklore. His dedication to his deceased bride- the poet Ethna Carberry- is touching and sad, but gets obsessive as she is mentioned in almost every chapter. My old copy - 1921- contains blank pages in the back with the instructions to paste the newsclippings about the Treaty there. This book is perhaps one of the last places one can find the stories of Fin MacCool, St. Patrick, Owen Roe O'Neil, Patrick Sarfield and the Fenians all in one volume, and each capter ws writen by different experts (and Nationalists).

The gentle nature of the Irish people is greatly emphasized in this book. The ideas of democracy were practiced in ancient Ireland, according to MacManus. Women were treated as equals in a time when they were but chattle in other areas of the world. The desire to aquire knowledge is clearly evident in the way the scholars of celtic culture were respected and looked to for direction. I was amazed by the Englishmen that participated in the destruction of Irish culture. In particular, Sir Walter Raleigh and the masacre of the Spanish soldiers that came to assist the rebellion of the English invasion of Ireland. That is a part of history not taught in American schools today. We were taught that Raleigh was an heroic man. This book opened my eyes to the true barbarian he was. These are only a few of the details that shocked and interested me about my heritage. I am still reading and anticipate the aditional information I to come.

Genocide has recently become an issue again in current events. The Yugoslavians are having at the Albanians. Africans have and are decimating Africans. Germans have reduced Jewish and Roman Catholic numbers efficiently and effectively. Spanish, French, Scandanavian and English swacked the native Americans and their cultures from Alaska to the southern most end of South America. It's an old story. The English are not alone in their chapters. In fact, they still pompously and righteously perpetuate their own form of genocide at the hands of the native Irish, as they have with South Africans and Indians.

Seumas MacManus allows this to be perfectly clear, not as a biased self appointed judge, but as a historian making available in print information previously unavailable to me and others of Irish descent who have lost their roots because they've been hacked away from them by shame.

It seems once again unjust that a work which salutes the dignity, power and grace of a people is left to die its own death and is no longer published. I was looking for a copy to purchase so I could leave it for my children and their children. I know of no shenachies to continue the tales. Another positive cultural influence destroyed by the insecure British. Just think of what could have been if the British weren't so afraid of the people they didn't understand and therefor massacred and worked with them toward their mutual benefit. We'll never know.